Week 2 - Johnny & Jackson Hole

Week 2

Hello again,

When we first got to town Tom and I passed an interesting looking trail that was called Johnny Behind the Rocks. Last Sunday we were able to go out there for the first time. We decided to hike up Red Ridge and try to make it to Johnny Falls, then hiked back on Dry Well Road (despite the name you are still climbing up a massive hill). Also, the Egyptian Time Machine sounds cool, but there’s no pyramids or hieroglyphics to look at so, wouldn’t recommend. Round trip it was going to be about an 8-mile hike. This is a trail that I would say is definitely worth it, the snow made it more difficult for us of course but the views it had were amazing. Just be sure you do it with plenty of daylight and are prepared to climb up about 650 ft. if you take the same paths that we did. 

    We spent week 2 at the Riverton clinic and met the staff over there. Everyone was very nice and had great recommendations on things to do in the area and Jackson. We spent that week mostly working on a diabetes project and did some patient counseling.

Katherine was kind enough to give us Friday off since we had some friends coming up to visit Jackson Hole. But before they got to Riverton, Tom and I decided that we wanted to do some fishing. The Wind River Canyon (about an hour away) doesn’t freeze over during the winter so we thought that would be a great place to try and catch a rainbow trout or walleye for dinner. And the day started out fine, but as soon as we drove up to the canyon the snow was basically blinding, so we couldn’t see 20 ft in front of us. But we had made it this far (and bought the licenses), so we decided to give it a shot anyway. According to the John and Tom Meteorological Survey the winds were up to 45 mph, and nearly knocked us over while fishing. It was not successful. And we decided to call it after about 30 minutes when the snow started to get even heavier. To help explain how heavy it was, the tracks from us walking through the snow to get down to the shore were almost completely gone on the walk back. 

    The casualties for those keeping score at home: 5 minnows, 1 fishing rod, 2 reels that were later repaired, and 0 fish.

    Later that night, Tom and I picked up my girlfriend, Bailey from the Riverton airport. We got up early the next morning to head to Jackson Hole. It is only about a two hour drive there and it is very scenic. I would recommend that you make this drive during the day if possible because there are some great overlook spots along the road. On the way you should pass through Dubois which has "the world's largest jackalope exhibit" and there is even a giant one that you can sit on.

    Once we got into Jackson, we went to Persephone's to get some breakfast. It was a cool place that had some good baked goods and according to Tom "they have the best hot chocolate I've ever had." Rating: 8/10. After breakfast we walked around some shops to see what they had and I will include a list of these at the end of this post. Next, we went to pick up Bailey's brother, Ben at the Jackson Hole airport, which is in the middle of the Grand Teton National Park. From there, we went back to Jackson to get lunch at Merry Piglets which is a Tex-Mex type place which we gave a cumulative 7.5/10. Next, we went to the hotel, Mountain Modern, which was about 3 blocks from the square downtown. After we put on some warmer clothes, we went to the Elk Reserve. During the winter you can take a sleigh ride through the reserve and they will take you right in the middle of the herds. It was about $40 and we all learned a lot on the ride. One tip we learned the next day is on the other side of the reserve, there is a road that will take you under some mountains where bighorn sheep can be seen. Next, we went to a ski shop (Teton Mountaineering) to rent some cross country skis to take through Grand Teton. The staff was not very helpful, especially for new skiers, but their prices were fair and it is in a convenient location. For dinner, everywhere needed a reservation. So either book them or be prepared to wait 2 hours for dinner. We ended up eating at Roosevelts, which was pretty good. I think the burger was the best thing on the menu based on everyone's reviews, but I think we would give it an overall 7/10. They do have a really good huckleberry ice cream pie which everyone gave at least a 9/10. After dinner we went to the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. They had some live music that night and the cover was $20. So pricey, but it was a cool experience. The building was really cool, had some interesting history, dancing, pool tables (that you can't play (crowded)), and a large variety of drinks. You can also sit on a saddle barstool so that was cool.

    On Sunday morning, we got up early to make the most of our time skiing. We stopped by Snake River Roasting Company, a coffee shop that was about two blocks from the hotel. Overall, the coffee was really good and they have some huge donuts. Unfortunately, Tom's hot chocolate was not up to Persephone's standards but the presentation was better. After breakfast, we drive out to Grand Teton to get on the Taggart Lake trail. For starters, if you're going to do this trail in the winter, don't use classic skis. You will want to use backcountry skis, and honestly just snowshoe. The way up was kind of fun because it was mostly uphill or flat so we could still kind of glide on our skis. Getting to the lake was the coolest part, it was completely frozen and we were able to ski across it. Coming back was a different story. This is where classic skis are just not going to get the job done. The path is weaving and there are sharp changes in elevation which is tough for beginner skiers since XC skis do not allow you to turn or stop, especially on tight trails. Roundtrip this trail was 4 miles and would have been pretty quick had we had the right equipment, but it was still worth it to make the trip out there. Since we had been significantly delayed on our skiing trip, we decided to skip lunch since we had made an early reservation at the Million Dollar Cowboy Steakhouse. I think this restaurant got a cumulative 9/10 from all of us. It is on the pricy side but their steaks are really good, if you're into that kind of thing. Finally we went to Moo's Gourmet Ice Cream for dessert before we left town. We all got the huckleberry ice cream and everyone gave it a 10/10. Apparently it even won #1 desert in WY according to Food Network. Then we just drove home which was pretty uneventful but beware that speed limits are different at night so if you plan on following those it will take you longer to get back. One recommendation we have is to stop at an overlook if it's a clear night because there are no lights around and the stars are amazing.

   

 On Monday, we had the day off for MLK day so we decided to go to Pinedale to do some downhill skiing. According to everyone at the clinic this is the best place for beginners (Tom and I) to learn how to ski. It's about 2-3 hours from Washakie and it costs about $50 for the lift pass and to rent all the equipment (half-day) which is cheaper than anywhere else we saw. This is another activity we would definitely recommend doing if you're here in the winter. they do have a food truck and a restaurant/bar but it was closed, maybe because of the holiday, so just something to keep in mind if you're going around lunch. The lifts close at 4 so after we finished skiing, we headed back to Lander for dinner. Lander Bar/Gannett Grill is actually the only place Tom and I have had a meal at in Lander, but both times we went the food was great. Overall rating of 9/10. 

Photo Credit: Ben

tl;dr

• Johnny Behind the Rocks
• 8/10
• Red Ridge trail to Johnny Falls and back on Dry Well Rd.
• 8 mi. roundtrip
• Wind River Canyon fishing:
• Overall score: 3/10
• Bait shops: Rocky Mountain Discount Sports
• Have live bait and anything else you would need to go fishing
• DuBois
• Jackalope gas station: 10/10
• Jackson
• Persephone's: 8/10
• Merry Piglets: 7.5/10
• Mountain Modern (hotel): 8/10
• Close to downtown
• Elk Reserve: 9/10
• Teton Mountaineering: 5/10
• Less beginner friendly than Gannett Peak Sports
• Roosevelts: 7/10
• Get the burger
• Roosevelts Ice Cream Pie: 9/10
• Million Dollar Cowboy Bar: 8/10
• Million Dollar Cowboy Steakhouse: 9/10
• Get the steak. Do not get the fries.
• Snake River Roasting Company: 8/10
• Get the donut
• Grand Teton - Taggart Lake: 10/10
• XC Skiing Grand Teton - Taggart Lake: 3/10
• Moo's Gourmet Ice Cream: 10/10
• Get the huckleberry ice cream
• Made: 8.5/10
• Good souvenir shop, a lot of local made stuff
• Mercantile: 8/10
• Also good souvenir shop
• Lee's Tees: 6.5/10
• Cool designs, quality of the sweatshirts is questionable
• Orvis: 7/10
• Normal Orvis store, but has a few Jackson Hole specific things
• JD High Country Outfitters: 8/10
• Staff is really cool and helpful
• Pinedale: 9/10
• Skiing total half-day: $50